Residents overjoyed as bus service changes reconnect community

27 Apr 2016

Residents in Chesterfield are ‘over the moon’ after plans were announced by leading operator Stagecoach Yorkshire to launch a new bus service which will reconnect parts of the town.

People in the Grindlow Avenue area of Boythorpe will benefit from the changes to Stagecoach’s X17 route from Sheffield to Matlock, which will come into effect from 8 May and provide a ‘new sense of community’ in the local area.

The X17 route will be extended on weekdays beyond Chesterfield to Sitwell Avenue, with services operating in a one way, anti-clockwise loop via Hucklow Avenue and Grindlow Avenue to Sitwell Avenue before returning to Chesterfield and onwards to Sheffield.

On Sitwell Avenue, Hucklow Avenue and Grindlow Avenue buses will operate on a 'hail and ride' basis where passengers can board or alight at any safe place along the route. In Chesterfield buses will drop off and pick up on West Bars, in the Coach Station and on Cavendish Street, therefore residents will have a direct link to both the top and bottom of town.

Among those to express their joy at the changes was community worker Lesley Shawcross, who lives on Grindlow Avenue. She said: “We’re absolutely over the moon. We’ve been without a bus service for some time up here, so that’s only added to the sense of how important this change was.

“We’re all delighted in the area. It’s provided a new sense of community here and has really reconnected the people of Boythorpe, who before now would have to take a taxi into the town centre if they wanted to go shopping.

“Nowadays, of course, it’s different, and we’re overjoyed that the changes to the bus route have made everything more accessible again.”

Natasha Keen, a community organiser, said: “For the local community, the re-instatement of the transport means more than just a bus, it’s a place to see neighbours and friends a vital link to the city centre, enabling the less mobile freedom and independence.

“We look forward to continuing to work with our friends at Stagecoach, and moving onto the next challenge as a group.”

John Young, commercial director at Stagecoach Yorkshire, said: “Where possible, we use passenger feedback to shape our services so we’re delighted to be introducing this vital new link service for Boythorpe.

“Following requests from the local community, the X17 will serve the Grindlow Avenue and Hucklow Avenue loop three times a day on Monday to Fridays connecting local residents with Chesterfield town centre.”